20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

688 JULIETA Rotaruex Roxb., or 2. Acacia Suma Kurz ex Brandis, or 3. Prosopis SpicigeraLinn., or, when acknowledged as somarāji, 4. Vernonia AnthelminticaWilld. In India śamī is most commonly identified with khejri or jand treeof Mimosaceae family (Prosopis Cineraria= Prosopis Spicigera= ProsopisSpicigera Linn.). Its leaves are bipinnate, usually with two pairs of pinnae.The flowers, roots, bark and leaves are used for curing different ailments.Its wood is used in the fabrication of the pegs (samail) passing throughthe ends of a bullock cart’s yoke, and of the outer and inner pins (samail,samaila, samaiyā) joining the two bars of the plough’s yoke (GRIERSON1885: 3, 36).Traditionally śamī is related to the ground water. Varāhamihira in theBṛhatsaṃhitā 55 , the chapter for erecting a house, says that whenever śamīand palāśa are found in the west side, at a distance of six pūrūṣas, therecan be found water; whenever śamī and a white plant with many thorns isfound in the south, at a distance of seven pūrūṣas, there can be found wateras well. In central India śamī is worshiped during Daśehra, the peoplesoaking leaves of śamī in water and bathing with this on the day beforeDivāḷi. Keśava 56 refers to śamī in connection to water and Kauśika employsśamī together with water in certain medical rites: in a rite for preventing thehair loosing 57 , while sprinkling on the patient water with śamī, as a remedyfor possession by demon when sprinkling the patient with water in whichfruits of śamī 58 have been placed.Śamī is also connected with fire and gold 59 , the latter being used,among other extensive employments, in the jātakarma and medhājanana,whereas is sought to secure long life for the new born. P.V. Kane (1975,V, I: 192) records a śamīpūja performed in Maharashtra during Daśehra,wherein people exchange between themselves “śamī leaves”, called āpṭāor apta (Bauhina Tomentosa, a bilobate leaved plant) leaves saying “takethis gold”. In the ŚS 6.11.1 60 śamī is mentioned as uttarāraṇī together with5553.83-85: sapalāśā yatra śamī paścimabhāgaimbu mānavaiḥ ṣaṣṭyā | ardhanaraihiḥprathamaṃ savālukāpītamṛt parataḥ || valmīkena parivṛtaḥ śveto rohītako bhaved yasmin|pūrveṇa hastamātre saptatyā mānavair ambu || śveta kaṇṭakabahulā yatra śamī dakṣiṇenatatra payaḥ |56Ad KauśS 31.1: śamī vāpīprasiddhā.5731.1-2.58KauśS 31.8. For the translation of śamībimbaśirṣaparṇyāvadhi v. BAHULKAR(1994: 201, n.2).59Madelaine BIARDEAU 1981 gives many references in this connection.60śamīm aśvattha ārūḍhas tatra puṃsuvanaṃ kṛtam | tad vai putrasya vedanaṃ tatstrīṣv ā bharāmasi ||